Kelantan bemoan 'cruel' result as they face prospect of MSL relegation

Kelantan coach Zahasmi Ismail described football as "cruel" as he resigned himself to needing a miracle after seeing his struggling side drop to the relegation zone following the goalless draw against PKNS FC in the Malaysia Super League (MSL) on Wednesday night.

The Red Warriors will now have to beat Melaka United in their final game on Oct. 28 and hope that Sarawak drop points at home to T-Team to preserve their MSL status.

Kelantan's failure to beat PKNS at home saw Sarawak replace them out of the drop zone after staging a remarkable second-half performance to beat Malaysia FA Cup champions Kedah 4-2.

"We had a few injuries, especially to our strikers. We used all our forwards, but still failed to find the net and now find ourselves in this position. Football can be cruel," Zahasmi said.

"We have to accept this situation as we prepare for our final game. I hope we can get all our players back as we aim for a miracle."

A post shared by THE RED WARRIORS (@kelantanwarriors_fc) on Sep 27, 2017 at 9:09am PDT

On the field, Kelantan were lucky to survive against PKNS, thanks to the brilliance of national goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat and the woodwork at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium[1]

The East Coast giants did not seem to have a cohesive game plan as they defended like schoolboys, and lacked direction going forward.

The inept performance also summed up the team's managerial incompetence this campaign. From not being assured of participation in the league, to being docked three points after not complying with administrative requirements, Kelantan's chaotic hierarchy seems to have taken a toll on their players.